Gilkock Football Academy, Brufut Branch
Working to develop West African football
Planned Development Stages
Conceptualisation
Gilkock Football Academy, Brufut Branch only came to being following a large influxes of young players to Serrekunda to train with the main Gilkock football academy based in Serrekunda. The massive in flukes of players motivated the proprietor of the academy to set up a similar one in Brufut. The idea was sold to the community through a visibility study. The communities under the leadership of the village heads embraced the idea. This was what brought the existence of the academy until date.
Training ground
The day that the academy was launched, the village head on behalf of the academy
appealed to the school for the usage of the school ground during weekends temporarily
from 9am -
Materials acquired
Since the inception of the academy in 2003, it has been faced with series of problems acquiring funds to purchase football equipment such as balls, bibs, cones, mobile goal posts, nets, jerseys, markers football shoes etc which eases training at any level most especially youth training.
Equipped Office
Hence running a website, there is a big need for the academy to have a fully equipped office with computers or laptops for the storage and retrieval of information. It is today costing the academy a lot of money to update the site as well as run the administrative work of the academy. The secretary runs round day to day just to put things together administratively. At least Four computers and Two laptops. One for the Technical Director, Head Coach, Secretary, Treasurer and one for the updating of the website with internet connection and also telephone facility.
Video Hall
As an academy, there is a great need to have a hall where the interns will be watching training videos from other trainers or even from their own. over the years we do have training videos from different academies but find it difficult to watch them with the interns. if this hall is acquired the interns will have an opportunity to learn different training programs as well as the coaches. when the hall is in place, the academy can also use it to show the much loved premiership games and generate funds to run other activities of the academy as well as buy and transport the teams to anywhere they are going to for test games.
Mobility
The fact that the academy has players in the surrounding villages, the need for mobility
cannot be over emphasis as most of the time our players who travel from far arrive
at training late. The need for an 18-
Acquisition of a land
Land approximately 250x300 for the construction an academy complex is needed to build Football Fields, Dormitories, a Conference Hall, Classrooms, and Pavilions surrounding the main field. It is evident that to have a real academy requires such.
Development of the land
When the land is acquired, it needs development. The main field with two or one pavilion., two training fields, dormitories, a conference hall, classrooms etc.
Employment of staff
As of now the staff at Gilkock football academy is working on voluntary just because the academy lacks the finance but as the academy develops and get the necessary fund, we hope to put all staff ranging from the chief executive officer to the cleaners on salary.
With the right structure and a fully paid coaches and administrator, the academy hopes to produce players suitable to play for the national and international leagues.
Development of coaches
The need for the coaches of Gilkock to be trained further will help the academy a lot as everyday in the world of football things change. Though the academy is blessed with five coaches who are all trained. The technical director has a FIFA and CAF level two Futuro coaching certificate, two others have FIFA level certificate and the other two all have national D license coaching certificate.
Set up a place to train these players on other skills such as computer and other professional technical jobs such as carpentering, tailoring, welding and fabrication etc. This place will also serve as fund raising area for the academy hence the funds generated from the products produced will be used to supplement some other areas the academy is lacking. it is evident that not all those training with the academy will become professionals that is why setting up such a multi purpose centre will also equip the players with a skill to depend on in the future.
